Coin selector



L. F. HEHN COIN SELECTOR March 3, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. '50, 1946 L. F. HEHN COIN SELECTOR March 3, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 50, 1946 March 3, 1953 F. HEHN 2,630,200

COIN SELECTOR Filed Dec, so, 194s 4 sheets-sheet s March 3, 1953 F. Hr-:HN 2,630,200

COIN SELECTOR Filed Dec. 30, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 III'I"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII FJ. J6

atented Mar. 3, 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT COIN SELECTOR Louis F. Helm, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Mills Industries, Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application December 30, 1946, Serial No. 719,263

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a coin selector for separating genuine coins of a single denomination from all other coins, slugs and checks. Although the present invention is ydirected primarily to a device to be used in connection with coin-controlled mechanisms which are operated by the insertion of United States nickels, the device is also adaptable for the selection of coins of other denominations and may be used without a controlled mechanism as a means for accomplishing the rapid separation of coins of a single denomination from a mixture of coins of assorted denominations.

Eective prior devices of this character have delicate parts incorporated therein which have a tendency, through use, to become improperly adjusted and are adversely affected by slight wear or the presence of small amounts of dust or dirt. The frequent servicing and adjustment of the devices, a necessity with such constructions, has heretofore required the inconvenient and timeconsuming removal and disassembling of at least a part of the mechanism. The means for detecting and separating perforated coins, usually comprising the most delicate oi the parts, have particularly been found to require the repeated attentio-ns of servicemen.

Another inconvenience commonly experienced in the use of said prior devices has been the difficulty in removing coins which have become A jammed or have been otherwise improperly retained therein. This difficulty frequently occurs in constructions which utilize magnets to inluence the progress of coins through the device and in those which use a hooking means to restrict the passage of perforated coins. In the former design, coins and slugs of ferromagnetic material and underweight coins of paramagnetic material often adhere to the faces of the magnets disposed adjacent to the coin passages thus blocking said passages. In the latter design, difiiculty is experienced when perforated coins fail to fall free of the hooking means. When either of these conditions occur, or when an imperfect coin becomes jammed in a passage within the devices of prior construction, the aid of a serviceman is often required to remove the coin, the mechanism being inaccessible to the operator. The removal of such coins not infrequently requires a partial disassembling of the mechanism.

To overcome the above mentioned undesirable characteristics and diiculties inherent in prior designs, I have devised the present coin selector device, an object of my invention being to provide in a simple and durable mechanism, the internal parts of which are readily accessible for cleaning, inspection and adjustment, the means whereby genuine coins of a desired denomination may be effectively and accurately separated from all coins, slugs and checks which are of incorrect size or weight, or are of counterfeit material.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a device of this character a durable and uncomplicated means, requiring no periodic adjustment, for detecting and retaining perforated coins.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means for preventing underweight coins from gaining entrance to the interior coin passages Within such a device.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in a device of this character means by which the operator may easily clear the device mechanically of all coins retained within the interior of the mechanism, thereby avoiding the diinculties usually resulting from the jamming or the blocking of the coin passages within coin selecting or separating devices.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a coin selector embodying the invention;

show the action of the scavenger lever and sweeparm;

Figure 8 is a section taken substantially on line S--B of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a section taken substantially on line -S of Figure 7 Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the device in the opened position showing the trajectories of the coins;

Figure l1 is a side view taken on line I l-l I of Figure 10 and showing a means for mounting the device;

Figure 12 is a front elevational view of the underweight coin rejector Figure 13 is a side view of the same;

Figure 14 is a top plan View thereof;

Figure l5 is an enlarged section taken on line Iii-l 5 of Figure l2; and

Figure 16 is a similar view showing the action of the underweight coin selector trap.

Referring in detail to the said drawings, a typical coin selector constructed in accordance with the present invention is built upon a iixed vertical plate l, which may be securely mounted upon a supporting plate 9d, or upon a coin operated device (not shown), by means of screws 9| and spacer rods 32 (see Figs. 2 and l1).

In connection with the plate l various members form a series of thin, iiat passages beginning with a passage having an inlet portion 3 (see Figs. 2, 9 and l0). A coin, after having passed through said inlet 3 will drop onto an inclined coin rail 9 which forms a part of the bottom of the coin passage 4 extending laterally and downwardly from a point below the inlet opening 3. In reaching the coin rail 9 the coin passes through the magnetic iield of a horseshoe magnet I which is mounted behind the plate I in a manner hereinafter described.

Coins of ferromagnetic materials are stopped and held in the magnetic field of the magnet I0, but coins of paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials pass unhindered through the magnetic eld and roll down the coin rail 9, passing an undersize coin rejecting means to be later described. A coin not rejected by the undersize coin rejector will roll down the full length of the coin rail 9 and jump an open space onto an inclined surface II on a head portion Iia of a sweep arm I2 (see Fig. l0). The surface II thus forms a bottom for the lower portion of the coin passage 4.

Rolling oli of the lower end of the surface II, the coin will drop into a coin passage (see Figs. 3-5 and 10) and will therein come into contact with a device for retaining perforated coins, to be hereinafter described. If the coin is unperforated, it will drop unhindered past this device and fall against an inclined track Ill formed by an inturned flange on a plate I4 which is adjustably mounted to the plate I by means of a screw IS which passes through a slot I5 (see Fig. 6) in the plate I4 and is threaded into said plate I.

Upon contacting the track i4 the coin will change its direction of travel and will follow an inclined passage B dened by track I on one side and an edge surface I3 of the sweep arm I2 on the "other (see Fig. The 'width of the passage 6 may be adjusted to be slightly greater than the diameter of coins of the desired denomination by adjusting the position of the plate I4! on the mounting screw I5. An oversize coin may thus be prevented from entering the coin passage 6 and will be rejected from the device by means hereinafter described.

A coin of the proper size will pass downwardly and laterally through the magnetic field of two opposed horseshoe magnets I? and I8 which are attached by screws to the vertical plate I and to a front plate 2, respectively, the latter plate being hinged to the former as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Having passed through the eld of the mag nets I1 and I8, the coin will fall onto a bounce block -secured by a screw 26 to the plate I. The screw 26 may be threaded into said plate I or may be held by a nut 26a on the rear side of the plate.

The falling speed of a coin of paramagnetic material will be retarded as it passes through the magnetic eld of the magnets Il and I3 and this will reduce the amount of bounce resulting when such coin strikes the bounce block 20. In bouncing from the surfaces of the bounce block, the coin will again pass into the magnetic eld of the magnets II and I8, which will still further reduce the inertia of the coin.

A barrier 21 is provided beyond the bounce block and its position is such that coins of counterfeit material, which are more affected by the magnetic field than coins of genuine material,

will fail to bounce over the barrier and will fall into a coin rejection passage l following a trajec tory indicated by an arrow 'la in Figure l0. The barrier 21 comprises an angle piece having a vertical part 21a in which there is a slot 2lb through which a screw 23 extends to adjustably secure the barrier to the plate I.

Referring now particularly to Figures 6, '7, 10 and l1, two ears 29 are formed on the top of the plate I and have openings therein for receiving a hinge pin 30. The front plate 2 is hinged to said pin by means of ears 3i on the upper end of said plate, which upper end is of reduced width as compared with the lower part of the plate. Said front w'ith the vertical plate I, forms the sides for the coin passages above mentioned.

Mounted upon the front plate 2 is the above mentioned device for arresting perforated coins, said device being best illustrated in the Figures i, 3, 4 and 5 and being more fully described below. The horseshoe magnet I8, an undersize coin return guide or chute 32, and a cam roller S3 mounted upon the guide by means of a bracket 34, best illustrated by Figure 9, are also carried by said front plate. The latter may be manually lifted to the open position shown in Figure 10, thus conveniently exposing all of the internal parts of the device for cleaning and adjustinent.

In its normally closed position, as illustrated by Figure l, the front plate 2 is held closed by the mutual attraction of the two magnets I1 and i8, the faces of which are exposed to the coin passage 6 through appropriate openings in the fixed vertical plate I and the front plate 2. This use of the attraction of the magnets I1 and 58 eliminates the need for any mechanical fastening means to hold the front plate in a closed position.

The barrier 2l acts as a stop for said front plate in its closed position and separates it from the iixed plate I a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a U. S. nickel or other predetermined coin. Side flanges 35 and 36 are formed on the front plate 2V and extend at right angles to the surface of said plate, the space between the flanges 35 and 3G being slightly greater thanV the horizontal measurement across the plate I soy that, when the front plate 2 is in its operative closed position, said flanges constitute side walls of the selector device.

Also hinged to the pin 30 is a yoke 3l (see Figs. 6 and 7) which is held against the back of the plate I by means of a torsion spring 38 mounted on said pin with one end secured to the latter and the other end disposed in an opening in one leg of said yoke. The horseshoe magnet Ill is riveted or otherwise fastened to the yoke 3T by means of brackets 39 and is thus movable therewith. The coin rail 9, which is an integral extensionk of the central part of the crossbar of the yoke 31, protrudcs through a slot im in the iixed plate I and constitutes the bottom r the coin passage 4, as previously stated. A cam roller 4I is mounted upon one leg of said yoke 31, as best illustrated by Figure 6, its purpose being hereinafter explained.

The undersizg coin return chute 32 is secured, as by rivets l', to the front plate 2 (see Figs. l and l0) and the lower portion of said chute extends through an opening 42 in said plate. When the said front plate 2 is in its closed position, the lower portion of said chute 32 and the cam roller 33 mounted thereon extend through an opening 53 in the xed plate l, as shown in Figure 2.

The upper portions of the plates i and 2 are formed so that, when said plates are in their normal vertical positions, said upper portions slope approximately ten degrees from the vertical, as best illustrated by Figure 2. A coin inserted into the coin passage il and dropping to the coin rail 5 will therefore lean against the upper portion of the plate l as such coin, if not held by the eld of magnet I5, rolls down said rail 9.

In rolling along said rail, the coin will reach a point opposite a C shaped opening En! in the plate l (see Figs. 2, 9 and 10). That portion of the plate i which forms the inside of the C is bent back to form an upwardly inclined shelf t5. The distance from the coin rail 9 to the uppermost point in the opening elli, indicated by the numeral .t6 in Figure 2, is slightly less than the diameter of a U. S. nickel. Thus, if the diameter of a coin rolling down the coin rail 9 is greater than the distance from coin rail 5 to the point 36, the coin will roll past the opening lid and continue on its course through the coin selector assembly. However, if the diameter of the coin is less than the measurement from the coin rail 5 to the point t5, the coin, upon reaching the opening it, will fall over onto the shelf i5, the lower edge of the coin will slip ori of the coin rail 5 and the coin will fall into the undersize coin chute 32 and slide out through the back of the coin selector assembly and into a reject chute il as illustrated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Coins, after dropping through said chute will be directed by a guide 85 to a rejected coin receptacle (not shown). In this manner all undersize coins are rejected as such coins pass through the coin passage t.

A retaining device for perforated coins is mounted on the front plate 2 by means of a bracket 28 riveted or otherwise secured to the plate 2 (see Figs. 1 and 3-5). Hinged to the bracket i8 by means of a pin i9 is a hollow frame 55 to the lower part of which is pivotably secured, by means of a pin 5l, a nger member 52. On one end of this member an actuating finger 53 and a retaining finger 5d are formed, and in the other end there is a counterweight 55. The finger member 52 is so mounted that either the actua-ting ringer 53 or the retaining nger 54, or both together, may protrude into the coin passage 5 through a slot 5E in the front plate In the ready position, as illustrated by Figure 3, the lcounterweight 55 causes the member 52 to pivot on the pin 5l so that the retainer fing-er 5t is withdrawn from the coin passage 5 and the actuating nger 53 blocks said passage.

As an unperforated coin, indicated by the numeral 5l in Figure 5, drops through the coin passage 5, the lower edge of the coin will strike the actuating nger 53 and cause the member 52 to pivot on the pin 5i until the retainer nger 54 strikes the coin near its center. The continued movement or" the coin through the coin passage 5 forces the actuating nger 53 completely out of said coin passage, allowing the coin to pass unhindered. The complete withdrawal of the actuating nger 53 is made possible by the pivoting of the frame 55 about the pin 49 as illustrated by the Figure 5. The lower edge of a perforated coin, indicated by the numeral 58 in Figures 3 and in passing through the coin passage 5, will strike the actuating nger 53 which will cause the member 52 to pivot suiciently on the pin 5I to cause the retainer finger 54 to enter the perfora- 6: tion of the coin, thus catching and retaining the coin, as illustrated by Figure 4, and preventing its further passage through the device.

The device of the invention includes a scavenging mechanism comprising a lever 55 having a horizontal portion 59 in the form of a linger piece accessible to the operator and a vertical portion 59a having abifurcated lower end forme ing a fork t3 engaging a pin 55 on a crank arm, 5t on a shaft 5t on which the sweep arm l2, above mentioned, is carried (see Figs. l, 6 and 7). The lever 59 is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 6l which is iixed upon the back side of the supporting plate l. One side of said lever 59 is formed into a cam 52 upon which rides the roller 4l on the yoke 31. The crank arm SS and the sweep arm l2 are xedly mounted, by pin or otherwise, to said shaft 8i which passes through the plate i, the crank 55 being mounted on said shaft di on the back side of the plate l and the sweep arm i2 being mounted on the forward side of said plate. The crank arm 55 has on one side thereof a cam E5 engaging the roller 33 which is mounted on the lower portion of the undersize coin return chute 52 as before explained. Said cam engages` said roller Iafter the crank arm 55 has been rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure 6, approximately thirty degrees.

The pressing of the scavenger lever 59 will transmit a rotating motion to the shaft @il through the action of the fork 53 upon the pin 65 and arm 55 causing the sweep arm l2 and said arm til to rotate counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 7. This same movement of the sca-venger lever 59 simultaneously causes the cam 62 to engage and raise the cam roller fil and thereby swing the yoke Si back and from the rear side oi the plate l. This retraction or" the yoke 37 carries the magnet i5 away from the plate i thus releasing any ferromagnetic coin or slug which said magnet may have been holding at the upper end of the coin passage fi. The retraction of the yoke 3l also causes the withdrawal of the coin rail 9 from its position at the bottom of the coin passage thereby allowing any ferromagnetic coin released by the retraction of the magnet it to drop down into the undersize coin chute 32 and slide out of the selector device in the sam-e manner as a rejected undersize coin. The motion of the sweep arm i2 positively dislodges any coin or slug which may have been attracted to the face of either magnet l or i5 `and sweeps such coins into the coin rejection passage l, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 7 by the broken line outline of a coin at 5S.

As above noted, after approximately the 'First thirty degrees o1" rota-tion of the crank arm 55, the ycam 55 engages the cam roller 33 and forces the same to move to the left, as viewed in Figures 2 and 9, thus causing the front plate 2, which carries the undersize coin guide or chute 32 on which the roller 33 is mounted, to pivot upon the hinge pin 35 and move a limited distance outwardly land away from the plate i. This opening of the front plate i allows any coin which may have become lodged in any of the various coin passages to drop downwardly into either the undersize coin chute 32 or into the rejection passage l. It also allows any perforated coin retained by the retainer nger 54 to slide oi of said nger and drop vertically into the rejection passage '1, thus effectively clearing the device of all coins arrested therein. l

Upon the release of linger pressure from the scavenger lever 55, the action ofA .the torsion.

aesdaoo 'spring 38 and the mutual attraction of the magnets I7 and i8 cause all the parts to return to their normal positions, thus completing the scavenging operation. The returning action may be aided by the use of a torsion spring 67 mounted about shaft 64 between the crankarm G0 and the plate I, one end of said spring being fixed to the plate and the other end thereof being fixed to the arm 60.

The rejected coin guide 85 and the rejection passage l may communicate with a, single chute (not shown) for conveying all rejected coins to a receptacle accessible to the operator, and the coin passage 3 may be positioned over a cash box or over a chute for conveying 'accepted coins to a coin controlled mechanism (also not shown) and thence to a cash box.

Underweight coins, which would have a tendency to lodge upon the faces of horseshoe magnets il and i8 if permitted to reach the same, may be prevented from gaining entrance to the coin passage 4 by mounting, in any suitable manner above the entrance 3 of said coin passage, an underweight coin rejection mechanism illustrated in Figures 12 to 16. Such mechanism may be incorporated in a coin chute $3, shown as of arcuate form and defined by the sides 69 and 10 and by bottom members 1|, leading laterally and downwardly to said entrance to the coin passage 4.

A counterweight plate 12, normally disposed in a horizontal position and forming the bottom of the chute E8 at its lowermost end, is hinged to the side 69 by means of a hinge pin 13 passing through ears 7d on the side 69 and through ears 'l5 on said plate 12. The weight of the plate 'I2 is distributed with respect to the pin 13 so that said plate normally rests in the closed position, as illustrated by the Figure 15, and will open only when a coin weighing as much as or more than a U. S. nickel, for example, rolls down the chute 68 and onto the plate 12, tipping the same as illustrated in the Figure 16.

A coin weighing less than a desired amount will roll down the chute 68, across the plate 12, and be rejected through an open end i of said chute 38, as illustrated by the Figure l2. Said open end l'6 may be connected with a chute (not shown) for conveying rejected underweight coins to a rejected coin receptacle. A striker` plate 'Il may be mounted, preferably in inclined position, slightly below the plate 72, between said plate and the open end 76, to arrest the lateral motion of coins which drop through the trap into the entrance 3.

The upper end of the chute may be connected by means of screws, or otherwise, to a coin receiver plate '18 which may be mounted in the face of a cabinet (not shown) enclosing the entire coin selector device. Said plate '.8 has a slot 19 therein for insertion of coins into the device. The chute 68 is shown as supported from the supporting plate 90 by means of a bracket 80.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appending claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in View of the prior art.

I claim l. In a coin selector embodying a plurality of coin passages formed by a plurality of walls and incorporating a magnet disposed contiguously to at least one of said passages to affect the movement of coins therethrough, a sweep-arm rotat- 8. ably mounted to move across the face of said magnet and within said passage, a second magnet disposed outside one of said walls and adjacent to a second one of said passages thereby creating a magnetic eld within the latter of said passages for arresting the movement of ferromagnetic coins therethrough, one of said walls being movable relative to the other, a movable support for said second magnet, and means comprising externally operatable mechanical linkage and actuating means operatable thereby and operatively engaged with said sweep arm, said magnet support and said movable wall whereby substantially simultaneously said sweep-arm may be rotated to dislodge coins from the face of said rst magnet, the space between said second magnet and its adjacent wall may be momentarily increased to decrease the intensity oi said magnetic eld within said second passage and thus release coins arrested by said field, and whereby said walls may be momentarily separated each from the other thereby increasing the sizes of said passages and providing space through which coins so dislodged and so released may fall freely from said passages.

2. In a coin selector embodying a plurality of coin passages formed by a plurality of walls and incorporating a magnet disposed contiguously to at least one of said passages to affect the movement of coins therethrough, a sweep-arm rotatably mounted to move across the face of said magnet and within said passage, a second magnet disposed outside one of said walls and adjacent to a second one of said passages thereby creating a magnetic ield within the latter of said passages for arresting the movement of ferromagnetic coins therethrough, a coin rail protruding through one of said walls and into said second passage below said magnetic eld for supporting coins in said second passage, one oi said walls being movable relative to the other, a movable support for said second magnet and said coin rail, and means comprising externally operatable mechanical linkage and actuating means operated thereby and operatively engaged with said sweep arm, said support and said movable wall whereby substantially simultaneously said sweeparm may be rotated to dislodge coins from the face of said rst magnet, the space between said second magnet and its adjacent wall may be momentarily increased to decrease the intensity of said magnetic ield within said second passage and thus release coins arrested by said eld, said coin rail may be momentarily withdrawn from said second passage to discontinue the support of coins therein, and whereby said walls may be mechanically separated momentarily, each from the other, thereby providing space through which coins so dislodged and so released and denied support may fall freely from said passages.

LOUIS F. HEHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,073,949 Scofield Mar. 16, 1937 2,151,823 Tratsch et al Mar. 28, 1939 2,225,873 Patzer et al. Dec. 31, 1940 2,287,292 Bugg June 23, 1942 2,310,637 Hoyt Feb. 9, 1943 2,339,823 Vogel Jan. 25, 1944 

